You left out my new favorite the Dell Venue 8 Pro. Just got the device about a week ago and it is amazing. Windows 8.1 really shines on a tablet. I paid $229 for mine and it has a full version of office, new quad core bay trail intel processor, hd display, good loud speaker, very good build quality, expandable micro sd slot. Since it has a full OS and not a mobile OS I can imstall any program I want. I can run as many programs at the same time as I want and have multiple windows open and truly multi task. It also has a split screen feature to browse the net while I read email. etc. The battery lasts a long time as well. Running bluestacks I can run any android app as well. The unit is not perfect and only has a micro usb port but there are adapters available. The device does not have gps but no good apps for gps exist in windows yet so I can see why it was left out. It does have a built in compass. As the MS store matures more apps will become available. I see the app ecosystem as an issue for some but the versatility of having a full os on a tablet is pretty incredible at this price. The baytrail processor from intel is really good and on par with some laptop chips. I think there are a few other offerings from other manufacturers but for the price and build quality the Venue 8 Pro is the Nexus 7 of the windows world and costs the same too. If intel and microsoft keep improving it won't take long for them to catch up. The surface tabs are nice but most people do not want to pay laptop prices far a tablet that does not offer a familiar ecosystem and app availability. With these low cost 8.1 tabs I wonder the future of rt? Can a tablet have a full desktop OS and perform? The answer seems to be yes. Microsoft needs to change desktop mode. Simply allow for pinch and zoom in desktop mode and there would be no need for a stylus. but the Dell also offers an active stylus too. The 10 point multi touch screen is awesome. Just for reverence I have owned a few tabs from a Viewsonic gtab to acer iconia a500 to the 2012 nexus 7 and now Dell Venue 8 Pro. The pro is so good I sold my nexus 7. While I liked the openness of Android and being able to easily root it and run custom roms it was showing its age already. Another reason I feel it is foolish to spend tons of money on a tablet is the short life span. Maybe a year or two at best.

The Monster M7 sold by Walmart currently on sale for $99.99 (as of 12/23/12) is a real value. Althought the graphics are HD at 1280X800 its still provides excellant video quality with GPS, BlueTooth, 16GB, and more.

I personally own the first generation Nexus 7 tablet, which I think fares very well (at $199) with more expensive items; too bad the second gen Nexus 7 (improved) does come at a higher price; a used Nexus 7 gen one offering would be great for someone willing to use only Wifi access. I use mine that way and it does everything I need it to do. More expensive tablets than this would be a waste for me.

I got my mom a Nook HD, and that costs even less and I think it is a bargain. It is easy, energy efficient, and good value for the money.

The other models also seem to have appeal, but too bad we couldn't add a few more to the list. A few years ago, tablets other than the iPad were not too hot; today I wonder if the iPad is even worth the extra money; MANY Android models offer excellent value. For me, the Nexus 7 is perfect, but I see the Barnes and Noble and Amazon low end offerings as excellent, better than the no name Android knock-offs. I don't know if any of them are improved and "good" these days, but I wouldn't go for one unless it had at least Android 4.2 or newer stuff on it.

While I'm not a Windows tablet fan, at least I can see the value if someone really uses a lot of Microsoft applications and wants remote access to them without having to carry along heavy gear.

I personally don't see the value in the iPad line but for those who are willing to pay the price, there is certainly a lot offered in their various alternatives. Compared to 2-3 years ago, there are A LOT of good values now in tablet systems, so this article was worthwhile in sharing them.

Apple doesn't "own" an entire vowel - the Ramos i-series to which the "i" stands for Intel - Ramos also manufacturers the k-series and w-series - I think if it's marketed as the "Ramos i-series" it won't be an issue

Apple doesn't "own" an entire vowel - the Ramos i-series to which the "i" stands for Intel - Ramos also manufacturers the k-series and w-series - I think if it's marketed as the Ramos i-series it won't be an issue

As InformationWeek Government readers were busy firming up their fiscal year 2015 budgets, we asked them to rate more than 30 IT initiatives in terms of importance and current leadership focus. No surprise, among more than 30 options, security is No. 1. After that, things get less predictable.